Summer Marketing Ideas that Will Make Your Business Sizzle

Jun 29, 2018

June is in full swing, and the heat is on literally and figuratively! Summer is considered to be a high season for many businesses no matter what industry they’re part of. This also means your current marketing strategy should align with the season itself.

You may be wondering, “That sounds good and all, but how do I do that?” Reading our tips is a good start! Let’s get right into it.

(Note: these tips don’t have to stop at summer, either! A seasonal marketing strategy is a good idea no matter what. The important thing is to form a strategy that will keep on building loyalty to your business’s brand and help you achieve your desired goals this year.)

1: Get Snap-Happy with Your Customers

Summer is the time of year when the sun comes out and the days get longer and hotter. It’s a time to help others feel more relaxed and enjoy the beautiful weather. With this in mind, why not liven things up with summery photos?

Take some pictures of your own, share them, and then ask your customers to send you their best ones. You can make this into a contest on your social media, offering gift cards to those with the funniest pics, the most scenic ones, and so on. Even if your business is an overly technical one, it’s good to show your lighter side when it comes to engaging with your audience.

2: Giveaways

Is summer the high season for your company? Depending on the business itself, summer is a prime time to offer would-be vacationers discounts and the option to win a contest. This is where potential summer giveaways can happen!

Use both your social media and e-mail marketing to extend this opportunity to your loyal customers and get them feeling involved and invested in what your business has to offer. Send newsletters with instructions or host the giveaway on Instagram with simple rules such as signing up for your e-mail list in order to have a chance at winning.

3: Celebrate!

Everyone loves celebrating holidays online. Get into the swing of things by honouring the following dates on your business’s social media:

National Hot Dog Month (July)

National Picnic Month (July)

National Ice Cream Month (July)

National Golf Month (August)

Canada Day (July 1)

Independence Day (July 4) (only if your audience includes the US)

There are many, many more ideas for holidays out there! This is just a small sample of some good ones worth covering.

4: Share Seasonal & Helpful Info

Again, depending on what type of business you run, summer comes with all sorts of needs that your customers have. For example, you could share tips on keeping the house cool at night, or health care tips for prevention’s sake against sunburn, or recipes for salads. These ideas could go on your website’s blog or shared on your social media.

5: Get Involved

Summer is the season full of outdoor events, such as music festivals and outdoor movie nights. With that in mind, why not host an event yourself? It could be as simple as holding a barbecue party for your customers and employees, or offering to contribute to the next major upcoming summer event such as a booth at a fair.

If promoting environmental awareness is a cornerstone of your brand, you could consider having you and your staff to volunteer with trash pickup at a local park (either before or after an event, or whenever your favourite park looks trashy…literally). You’ll be extending brand awareness about your company as well as spreading some good PR!

6: Decorate

If your business is more or less the brick and mortar type, it couldn’t hurt to liven up the space so that it’s summery. Try getting customized and seasonal posters and banners made and then liven up your location with them. If you’re short on funds, try getting creative by using coloured sidewalk chalk to direct people to your location. Chalk can be considered very nostalgic and summery to most people! You could also let your customers and their kids come up with their own chalk creations near the building.

7: Start with Your Website

No summer marketing idea (or any seasonal marketing, for that matter) will ever come to fruition if your business doesn’t have a solid website in the first place. If you need a website or if any of our ideas here relate to your website goals, give us a call! If you need to iron out the details with somebody or have questions about your website, we offer one-on-one consulting as well.